Planning to take flying lesson for PPL (Cincinnati here)
Return to DiscussionsIf you want a more formal and structured learning environment, find a Part 141 school (that's the section of the Federal regulations that the school runs under: 14CFR Part 141 vs 14CFR Part 61). Technically you can take your flight test sooner than at a Part 61 school (35 hours instead of 40 hours), but it is rare to finish up your primary training in that short of a time. I went to a Part 141 school for my primary, then a Part 61 school for my Instrument rating and Helicopter rating. Things were definitely more structured at the first school. At the other schools, each instructor was free to do their own thing, which can be an issue if you switch instructors partway through your training. There won't be any consistency.
If you want a more formal and structured learning environment, find a Part 141 school (that's the section of the Federal regulations that the school runs under: 14CFR Part 141 vs 14CFR Part 61). Technically you can take your flight test sooner than at a Part 61 school (35 hours instead of 40 hours), but it is rare to finish up your primary training in that short of a time. I went to a Part 141 school for my primary, then a Part 61 school for my Instrument rating and Helicopter rating. Things were definitely more structured at the first school. At the other schools, each instructor was free to do their own thing, which can be an issue if you switch instructors partway through your training. There won't be any consistency.
I think it's the part 141 school that lets you finish at 35 hours, not the part 61. It's one of the benefits of the more structured instruction.